BLAIR'S HEALTH 
EXERCISES 

HOW TO KEEP 
HEALTHFUL 
AND YOUTHFUL 




MARGARET JOSEPHINE BLAIR— Teacher, Lecturer, Author 



BLAIR'S 
HEALTH EXERCISES 



By 
MARGARET JOSEPHINE BLAIR 

Lecturer on Home Economics and Salesmanship in the Extension 
Department of the University of Minnesota 



RAND McNALLY & COMPANY 

CHICAGO NEW YORK 



Copyright, 191 7, by 
Rand McNally & Company ~~tD / £T~ 



AUG m 1917 




LA473267 



THE CONTENTS 

HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 

PAGE 

Importance of Good Health 9 

Influence of Air on Health 10 

Sunlight 14 

Sleep — Its Relation to Health . . . . . . . . 15 

Vitality and How to Use It 16 

Food and Its Effect on Health 18 

Beverages . 23 

The Teeth 24 

Care of the Skin 24 

Corsets and Shoes 25 

Be Beautiful at Sixty 26 

EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 

Health-Producing Exercises 29 

Before-Rising Exercises 31 

1. Relaxing Tense Muscles, 31; 2. A Cure for Constipa- 
tion, 31 ; 3. A Cure for Constipation, 34; 4. Relaxing Knee 
Joints, 34; 5. Relaxing Hip Joints, 38; 6. Muscular Exer- 
cises for the Feet, 38. 

After-Rising Exercises 38 

7. Arm and Shoulder ' Exercises, 38; 8. Strengthening 
the Lungs, 42; 9. Expanding the Chest, 46; 10. For 
Kidneys and Abdomen, 46; 11. Stimulating the Liver, 
50; 12. Developing Trunk and Neck Muscles, 50; 13. 
Improving the Waist Line, 50; 14. Developing the Leg 
Muscles, 52; 15. For Strength and Lightness, 52; 16. For 
Hip Reduction, 59; 17. For Body Poise, 59; 18. Reducing 
Flesh, 59; 19. Increasing Body Agility, 64; 20. For Poise 
in Walking, 64; 21. For the Double Chin, 64; 22. For 
Wrinkles, 67; 23. Strengthening the Eye Muscles, 67. 



HAVING AND HOLDING 
GOOD HEALTH 



BLAIR'S 
HEALTH EXERCISES 

IMPORTANCE OF GOOD HEALTH 

Every one wishes "to have and to hold" good 
health. Why? Because to be well is to be com- 
fortable. To be ill is to be miserable, Money 
not alone in body but also in mind, for value of 
the condition of the body affects the mind 
for good or for ill. But comfort is not the only 
value attached to health. A sound body spells 
dollars, a most potent word. We know that the 
dollar-earning power of a machine in perfect running 
order is far greater than that of a defective mechan- 
ism. When the body is in prime condition, it is the 
ready servant of the will, and its efficiency and there- 
fore its earning capacity are at the maximum. An 
aching head, a distressed stomach, a painful back, 
a lame knee, smarting eyes, a sore throat, in short, 
"all the ills that flesh is heir to" serve to clog the 
wheels of physical action. They make the mind 
conscious of the body, and, to that extent, interfere 
with the legitimate work of the brain. 

It is given to but a few choice spirits, like Robert 
Louis Stevenson, to rise above a body racked by 
pain and weakness and, in spite of it, to make 
the world lighter and better with playful wit and 

9 



io BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

whimsical fancy. Most of us, to a greater or less 
degree, let our suffering bodies impair our efficiency 
Social an< ^ becloud our spirits, thus exacting 

value of a double penalty, one from ourselves 

and one from our associates. The man 
who said he never knew he had a stomach until he 
read of it in a book was to be congratulated on his 
ignorance. Not to be made conscious of any part 
of our bodily organism because of pain denotes 
health, and health is bliss. Much has been said and 
much more will be said on how to gain and maintain 
this state of bliss. It is easy enough to formulate 
rules for taking care of this body of ours. The only 
trouble lies in getting the rules practiced. We 
glibly recite "an ounce of prevention is worth a 
pound of cure," then proceed to ignore the prevention 
and pay the doctor for pounds of cure. 

It is stating nothing new to say that the great 
health-producing factors are air, food, exercise, and 

sleep. When these bear the right rela- 
factors ti°n to each other, and to the age and 

work of the individual, the problem of 
health is largely solved. It is the function of this 
book to consider these, and minor factors, laying 
especial stress, because of their importance, upon 
the exercises which make for bodily health and 
grace. 

INFLUENCE OF AIR ON HEALTH 

Air is free and common. Unfortunately, whatever 
costs us nothing is apt to be undervalued, so perhaps 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH n 

it is not surprising that not until recent years have 

the health-giving qualities of pure air and plenty of 

it been exploited. Physicians and laymen alike now 

cry that fresh air is preventive as well as curative, 

and we are more and more as a people sleeping out 

in the open because we are well and 

1 1 . 1t Fresh air a 

want to keep so or because we are ill preventive 

and do not want to remain so. That and 5 

curative 
man is unpopular in his neighborhood 

who grumblingly said, "Sleeping outdoors is not a 

fad; it is a disease, and I'm glad I haven't got it." 

But sleeping out in calm or storm, in heat or cold, 
accounts for only about one third of our time. What 
do we breathe and how do we breathe the other 
two thirds ? If we are in our own homes, in our own 
offices, or in positions of authority, we can usually 
breathe the air we choose; that is, we can, if we 
realize its value, see to it that air fresh as can be 
obtained, is admitted to our rooms in sufficient 
quantities. But if we are clerks, salespersons, 
stenographers, factory employees, or students, we 
must breathe the air chosen for us. This air will be 
good, bad, or indifferent according as those in charge 
recognize or fail to recognize the value of pure air. 

Air contains, in the main, two gases — oxygen and 
nitrogen. Another gas, carbonic acid, is formed by 

the burning of fuel, the lamp or gas jet, 

j 1 -u xt. -u 1-1 • Elements of 

and also by the burning which goes on in the air 

our bodies. It is in the air we exhale, 

therefore it is present in greater or less quantities in 

the air about us. When present in large quantities, 



i2 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

it is harmful to animal life; not because it is a 
poisonous gas in itself, but because it displaces 
other gases that are essential to life. Scientists tell 
us that an adult of about one hundred and fifty 
pounds weight takes in about one pint of air with 
each inhalation. If this person is placed in a room 
ten feet square and ten feet high, with no means for 
the inlet of fresh air, he will exhaust the air in a 
short time and death will ensue, not immediately, 
but slowly. The oxygen of the air is used in the 
body and its place is taken by the carbonic acid gas 
exhaled by the lungs. This gas will not support 
animal life. 

Accepting the truth of these statements, the 
relation of ventilation to health is seen to be close 
and important. So far as lies in our 
and l a 10n power, there should be a current of fresh 
good health a [ T through all our rooms — workroom, 
office, living room, sleeping room — day and night, 
in season and out of season. A current implies an 
inlet and an outlet. If no other means offers, one 
can open the window, top and bottom, a few inches. 
A board placed across the opening at the bottom to 
deflect the current upward will prevent the draught, 
so needlessly fraught with terror to some persons. 

If one lives in a large city where even the outside 
air is necessarily filled with impurities of various 
kinds, a screen of thin cloth, cheesecloth or some 
similar material, placed across the opening will help 
to make the incoming air more fit to breathe. It 
may be well to add that the old belief that night air 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 13 

is dangerous to health has been shown to be an 
error. Night air, on the whole, especially in the large 
cities, is purer than day air. 

But what we breathe is not the only air factor in 
producing health. The manner of taking air into 
the lungs is of equal importance. It has 
been said that the majority of persons breathing 
live their whole lives and never learn how 
to breathe. If we are to believe the physiologists — 
and why should we not believe those who have made 
a thorough study and investigation of any subject? 
— learning how to breathe properly not only will 
prolong life, but it will make life better worth the 
living. 

Ordinarily we breathe about eighteen times a 
minute. This number varies with age, sex, general 
bodily condition, occupation, and so Tj PP er-chest 
forth, so that it can be given as only a or deep 
very general average, subject to much 
individual deviation. The capacity of the lungs 
is about twenty-seven cubic inches. Most persons 
are shallow breathers, upper-chest breathers. They 
seldom fill the lungs to their fullest capacity and 
thus the lower part of the lungs is peculiarly subject 
to disease, for any unused bodily tissue tends to 
shrivel and become non-usable. We pay the penalty 
for not using by losing the use. Chest breathing 
does not always bring on tuberculosis, but the person 
who does not habitually take deep draughts of pure 
air, exercising every particle of lung tissue and 
thoroughly aerating the blood, is more liable to 



i 4 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

tubercular troubles, indigestion, and kindred ills 
than is one who breathes deeply. Breathing rightly 
means breathing deeply. It means not chest expan- 
sion alone, but the exercise of every muscle of the 
trunk. It means the flattening of the dome-like 
position of the diaphragm, thus enlarging the chest 
cavity and permitting full expansion of the lungs. 
The back, the abdomen especially, the sides, the 
chest, all take part in forcing into the farthest cell 
the life-giving, health-promoting air. The habit of 
deep breathing should be supplemented by extra 
daily exercises in exaggerated deep breathing. This 
subject will be treated more fully under "Exercises." 

SUNLIGHT 

Plants thrive in the sunlight and become weak 
and colorless when deprived of it. Man does like- 
Sunlight wise. While all recognize this general 
essential truth, the application of it to daily life 
is often neglected or forgotten. If it is 
possible to let the direct rays of the sun bathe the 
body after the daily bath, the' beneficial effects upon 
the health and spirits will be apparent. This 
sun bath is not always possible, because of lack of 
favoring environment, but the sun can and should 
be admitted to our homes. It is one of the best 
agents for killing germs, destroying, as it does, great 
numbers of harmful bacteria. Indeed, the sun's 
rays now have a well-recognized curative value in the 
treatment of skin diseases. The sun thus helps not 
only to purify and dry the air, but it gives buoyancy 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 15 

and lightness to the spirits, and thus directly con- 
duces to good health of body and mind. 

SLEEP— ITS RELATION TO HEALTH 

"God bless the man who first invented sleep!" 
So Sancho Panza said, and so say I, 

is the beginning of John Godfrey's Saxe's poem on 
''Early Rising," and so say we all. The amount 
of sleep one takes at night is not of so How much 
much importance as the regularity of the sleep is 
hours and the conditions under which 
it is taken. No hard and fast rule can be laid down 
regarding the amount of sleep. Napoleon required 
only four hours; others, with not a tithe of the great 
soldier's brain or working power, require double that 
amount or even more. Seven or eight hours of 
untroubled sleep out of doors or in a room in which 
there is free circulation of air will, for the average 
adult, bring an awakening in which mind and body 
are attuned to the joy of living. There are those 
who require more sleep, but not many can take less 
and still keep the body in prime condition. Young 
children of course need much more than eight hours 
sleep. 

No garment worn through the day should be worn 
during the night also. The invention of the union 
suit has, indirectly, been conducive to 
health, for many persons who would clothes 

keep on a vest worn through the day 
unhesitatingly discard the union suit upon retiring. 
The exhalations of the body leave a residuum in 



16 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

the garments worn next to the skin which may be 
partially reabsorbed in the close contact of the 
garment with the body. Only a thorough shaking, 
drying, and airing during the night make them fit 
to don again the next day. 

Opinions differ somewhat on the best position in 
which to sleep, but most agree that it is better to 
Correct ^ e on tne right side in order to relieve 

sleeping the heart of pressure. All agree that to 

posi ion j. g ^^ ^ e J3 ac k- or w ith the arms over 

the head is not a good sleeping position. 

"I have no time to take a daily nap," says many a 
busy woman, housewife, saleswoman, or stenog- 
rapher. She might better say, "I have 
na p aiy no time not to take a daily nap." Ten 
minutes at the noon hour tells for health 
and beauty, woman's two greatest assets. "But I 
can't go to sleep in ten minutes or twice ten min- 
utes," is the objection often heard. No, not the first 
day, perhaps, but you can lie down, close the eyes, 
relax every muscle, breathe deeply and rest abso- 
lutely for ten minutes out of your allotted sixty. 
The second day you can do the same. The third 
day, sleep, "tired nature's sweet restorer," will lay 
its healing hand upon your eyes and you will awake 
a new woman, ready for another half day's struggle 
in the busy world. 

VITALITY AND HOW TO USE IT 

The parable of the servants to whom were given 
ten, five, and one talent, respectively, is applicable 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 17 

to the allotment to individuals of vitality, or joy in 

living. To each one of us is given a certain amount 

of energy to use as our working capital 

in life. We may use it wastefully in our vitality Vmg 

teens and early womanhood, conserving 

none for later life, or we may use it wisely, never 

taxing it beyond the normal rate of expenditure, 

and thus be in our prime when we are passing the 

half-century milestone. It is the part of wisdom 

to choose the latter course, for, if she will, the best 

of life may come to woman after she is fifty. 

In these days of social service much is being said 
about race suicide, better babies, the conservation of 
life, and "safety first." Much will need to be said 
and done before needless mortality and preventable 
injuries shall be reduced to a minimum. But even 
more should be said and done to conserve a healthy 
vitality in girls and young women, so that mother- 
hood shall mean health at birth for both the mother 
and the child. Some one has said that really to 
reform a man, you must begin with his grandfather. 
It is equally true that the best way to prevent the 
birth of weak and diseased babies is to teach girls 
and young women to make a right use of their 
allotted vitality. 

French and English mothers are wiser in this 
respect than are American mothers. Girls of twelve 
to eighteen in those countries are girls, not society 
buds. Their hours are early and regular, their 
amusements sane and adapted to their years. The 
American girl, in too many cases, is sated with society 



1 8 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

and sex emotions before she leaves the high school. 

Her vitality already has been frittered away, leaving 

little reserve for the stress and strain of motherhood. 

An exceedingly wasteful use of vitality, and 

hence harmful to health, is indulgence in anger, fear, 

or other strong emotions that do not 

vitality make for happiness. Strong anger or 

in strong fear, as also constant irritation over 
emotions 

trifles, keep mind and body alike in a 

condition unfavorable to health. Digestion is im- 
paired — we know how one becomes actually phys- 
ically ill under the strain of these emotions, and that 
each recurrence of illness so induced renders one 
weaker and less able to resist the domination of the 
feelings. A wise regard for health, then, dictates 
that one should strongly prohibit indulgence in 
either anger, irritability, or fear. 

FOOD AND ITS EFFECT ON HEALTH 

' ' A healthy stomach is a healthy body " is a truism 
believed by all, in theory, but made practically 
Results worthless as a working formula by the 

of wrong foolish abuse of that organ which is cus- 
tomary among the American people. We 
eat too much, we eat too fast, we eat at wrong times, 
and we eat the wrong things. Any observer may 
verify the truth of these indictments by even ordinary 
attention to those eating at restaurants, lunch coun- 
ters, cafeterias, or hotels. We need cite but one in- 
stance. Any one who frequents public eating places 
can match the observation with hundreds of others. 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 19 

Enter a gentleman and lady, both florid in com- 
plexion, both overblessed with flesh. They order 
and devour a full five-course dinner — soup, fish, 
beefsteak (over an inch thick), vegetable accom- 
paniments, salad, and strawberry shortcake with 
whipped cream. Each order in each course would 
have been ample for three or even four persons, but 
these two send the whole mass to their helpless 
stomachs, thus increasing their floridity and avoir- 
dupois, and preparing the way for all kinds of inter- 
nal disorders. 

If this case were unique, no importance other 
than individual would need to be attached thereto, 
but it is not unique; it is typical of the class whose 
bank accounts permit of such gormandizing, and 
whose number is not small. 

Not only do we eat too much, but we bolt the food, 
half chewed, into our stomachs, leaving to that 
overtasked organ the work which should chewine 
be done by the teeth. The doctor who for 
placed on the door of his office this 
notice, "Gone to lunch — back in 5 min.," should 
have considered himself the patient, and should 
have given himself a drastic prescription of common 
sense. Imperfectly chewed food is imperfectly 
salivated food. If saliva is not mixed with the 
food, a necessary chemical change fails to take place 
in certain portions of it. Every physician knows 
this; every intelligent layman knows it. We may 
even say every school child over twelve years of 
age knows this, but in the hurry and bustle which 



2o BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

make up what Americans call living, we fail to do 
what we know to be obligatory and trust to luck 
for a successful outcome. Fortunately a wise 
Creator has anticipated the needs of this great 
nation of hustlers and has provided a juice in the 
intestines which will, in part, rectify the errors of 
the mouth, but this juice cannot readily penetrate 
chunks of food, hence imperfect digestion waits on 
imperfect mastication. This means not only dis- 
comfort and bad complexions due to poor blood and 
clogged circulation, but also, in time, actual disease 
of one or more of the digestive organs, 
dependent No woman can be beautiful or even 

upon good attractive in appearance if the complexion 
digestion ^^ ^ 

be thick, muddy, or blotched, while one 

without a single good feature is pleasing -to the eye 
if she but have a skin fresh and free of blemish and be 
of good color. It follows that women, for beauty's 
sake, if not for health's sake, should eat sparingly 
and slowly, and should masticate thoroughly. One 
need not become an extremist in chewing, a devotee 
of Fletcherism, but common-sense dictates a reason- 
able adherence to this wise man's rules. 

It is a mooted question as to how many times a 
day it is necessary to eat. The number varies from 

five to two meals daily. Probably three 
i^eathig 7 meals is a good average. Five meals, 

light in character and taken regularly, 
may be better for the health than three heavy meals. 
The amount, kind, and regularity are of more 
importance than the number. The no-breakfast 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 21 

faddists find some followers, but their arguments do 
not seem to be well founded in the body's needs. 
A perfectly safe rule to follow is this : Send no new 
food into the stomach until that already taken is 
digested and the stomach has been given a chance 
to rest. This rule will eliminate indiscriminate 
11 piecing" between meals, a habit baneful in its 
influence on health, spirits, efficiency, and, of course, 
complexion. Society women, salesgirls, stenogra- 
phers, and high-school girls are the ones who most 
commonly abuse their stomachs by this practice of 
indiscriminate eating. Some of them have digestions 
strong enough and complexions clear enough to 
withstand the harmful effects for a time, but sooner 
or later nature exacts the penalty for broken laws. 

The lunch of the average woman worker in the 
city affords a striking illustration of the charge that 
we eat the wrong things. Ice cream, 
chocolate eclairs, and pastry furnish little destroyer 
nutriment. Supplemented by sweets 
eaten surreptitiously at odd moments in the after- 
noon, this kind of lunch is a health destroyer. If 
the results are not violent, but slow and insidious, 
that only makes the practice the more dangerous. 

In the foregoing paragraphs stress has been laid 
on our sins of commission as eaters. No talk on 
health or any other subject is helpful if 
it is merely censorious, destructive. Posi- suggestions 
tive, constructive suggestions should fol- 
low criticism or little good will result. With this 
in mind, the following suggestions are offered, not 



22 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

as a treatise on dietetics, but as an aid in attaining 
and maintaining health. 

A light breakfast, not made up of, but chosen from, 
a menu of cereals, fruit, toast, coffee or cocoa, and 
bacon and eggs will furnish nutriment and sufficient 
variety for any one, no matter what the occupation. 

The lunch should also be light in character, espe- 
cially where the afternoon's work demands an active 
brain and clear thinking. Fruit, vegetables, cooked 
or in a salad, soups and broths, ices and nuts, offer 
a choice that will nourish but not overwork the 
digestive organs. 

A four-course dinner, made up of a soup, the 
meat course, salad, and dessert, with the possible 
addition of a relish preceding the soup, makes a 
meal heavy enough to satisfy the most exacting 
appetite. Any additions to such a menu are super- 
fluities, not necessities. One or more courses can 
be subtracted from this menu with less danger to 
health than can one be added. 

Vegetables, especially carrots, onions, spinach, and 
asparagus, should form a large part of the dietary. 

Fruits aid in the sewerage of the body and thus 
contribute to health. It is said that an apple eaten 
every day will save a doctor's bill. 

The present prohibitive prices of meats may be a 
benefit to the American people, for they are thus 
« forced to find substitutes, and these are, probably, 
on the whole, more healthful than is meat. The 
quantity of meat which the body can use benefi- 
cially depends upon the occupation of the individual, 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 23 

but a minimum of meat is better for the health than 
a maximum. When the time comes that Americans 
are no longer called a nation of "pork eaters," we 
shall see a people less prone to indigestion and all 
the ills that follow in its train. 

Nuts and raisins, if well masticated, and eaten as 
a part of the meal, not as an addition to a full meal, 
are of great nutritive value. When forced into a 
stomach already given its full allowance of food, 
they overload and break down, instead of building up. 

Sweets as a part of our food are necessary and 
healthful, but as an extra or as a substitute are 
injurious to teeth, stomach, and complexion. 

BEVERAGES 

If man had never invented any drink, but had 
accepted what nature provides in abundance, we 
can almost say that his health would have been 
assured. Physicians are more and more advocating 
the use of water in liberal quantities to flush the 
body. Some authorities claim that a gallon a day 
is none too much water to keep the body in prime 
condition. This seems rather like an ^ater t ^ e 
overdose of a good thing, but one cannot most health- 
possibly receive any harm from taking 
the full prescription. From half a gallon up daily, 
taken a half hour before meals and before retiring, 
is a safe rule to follow. The benefits in bodily 
comfort, increased buoyancy, and clearness of skin 
are almost unbelievable to those who have drunk 
water only in small quantities. 



24 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

THE TEETH 

It is only in recent times that physicians have 
realized what a close relation exists between the 
Relation of condition of the teeth and bodily health, 
teeth to Many ailments, hitherto unexplainable, 

such as serious disorders of the digestive 
system, rheumatism, neuralgia, neuritis, and other 
nerve diseases, are now traced, rightly or wrongly, 
to defective teeth. Only frequent and regular visits 
to the dentist can enable one to be sure that the sys- 
tem is not absorbing infection from these trouble 
makers. Personal care of the teeth should include 
a careful brushing night and morning with tooth 
powder or paste, and a more frequent rinsing of the 
mouth with some antiseptic wash like peroxide or 
listerine. 

CARE OF THE SKIN 

Daily bathing and massage are the two means of 
keeping the skin in the best condition. Many women 
are interested in the state of their body 
massage*" 1 covering through a desire to be beautiful. 
Fortunately beauty and health go hand 
in hand, for a skin kept thoroughly cleansed is more 
healthful and at the same time more beautiful than 
one the pores of which are clogged with excretions 
from the body or accumulations of dirt. 

The daily hot bath, plunge or sponge, is a neces- 
sity to some; to others it is . weakening. The daily 
morning cold bath, shower or sponge, gives the whole 
body the glow of health and vigor. It stimulates 



HAVING AND HOLDING GOOD HEALTH 25 

the circulation and thus serves to send new blood 
to the tissues for their upbuilding. Perhaps three 
hot baths a week plus a daily cold wash will be about 
what the average person needs to keep the skin in 
good health. 

An evening massage of cold cream into the skin 
of the face, the movements being light and always 
outward and upward, then a light rubbing with a 
soft cloth to remove the cream and a cleaning in 
cold water will bring out and preserve the best 
qualities of the skin. 

CORSETS AND SHOES 

Two articles of dress give much concern to the 
woman who cares for bodily comfort and health. 
These are corsets and shoes. The former are, per- 
haps, a necessary evil in modern dress. This evil 
may be a serious menace to health if the corsets are 
ill fitting or are worn too tight ; however, the danger 
may be reduced to its lowest terms by D an a er s of 
having the corsets fitted to the figure ill-fitting 

corsets 

and worn loose. Corsets that press on 
soft tissues may cause incurable diseases. This is 
said, not to awaken fear unduly, but to emphasize 
the great care necessary in purchasing corsets. 

The high-heeled shoe may bea " thing of beauty ' ' 
to the beholder, but it is certainly never 
meant for service. It seriously threatens a Jf[ ena ce S 
the health of the woman who stands at 
her work. It throws her body "out of plumb," it 



26 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

creates an unnatural gait, and it may bring about 
spinal disorders. Besides these evils, standing or 
walking on high heels for any considerable length 
of time adds greatly to the fatigue of the wearer. 
For this present-day abnormality in footwear there 
seems to be no advantage that will counterbalance 
the harm it works. 

BE BEAUTIFUL AT SIXTY 

In most of what has been said in the foregoing 
pages, no account has been taken of the influence 
Choose vour °^ ^ e m i n d on bodily health. One need 
mental not be a follower of New Thought or 

any other cult to know that there is a 
direct and close relation between mind and the 
bodily functions. A mind at peace with itself and 
the world helps the body to function properly. One 
at war with either will disturb such functioning. It 
behooves us, then, if we wish perfect health, to close 
our minds to disturbing influences whenever possible 
and to open them to whatever will conduce to peace 
and happiness. 

It has been said that a girl may or may not be 
beautiful at sixteen according as nature has or has 
not endowed her with good health, fine carriage, pure 
skin, clear eyes, and regular features. But the 
woman who is not beautiful at sixty has only herself 
to blame, for, by right living and thinking, by care 
of person and health, she may acquire a beauty that 
is unattainable in youth. 



EXERCISING FOR 
HEALTH AND GRACE 



HEALTH -PRODUCING EXERCISES 

The exercises which follow are designed to develop 
and strengthen every muscle of the body, to stimu- 
late the circulation of the blood, to reduce Exertisine 
flesh, and to cultivate grace. Whatever for health 
tends to keep the circulation healthfully an grace 
normal promotes the well-being of the body. The 
blood flowing through the body may be compared 
to a running brook. If for any reason the water 
in the brook is impeded in its flow, it becomes stag- 
nant and foul. The same is true of the blood, and 
therefore such a condition in any place in the body 
brings on disease. The right kind of exercise taken 
at the right times and in the right manner maintains 
the blood circulation at normal and thus prevents 
stagnation and resulting ills. It helps one to look 
younger and to be younger. 

All the exercises should be taken slowly but with 
vigor and enjoyment, if the highest good is to result. 
Deep breathing is to be understood in R epe titi ns 
each exercise. The number of repetitions should be 
should be small at first, and should 
gradually increase until the maximum named in the 
exercise can be taken with ease. The exercises 
should be practiced in front of the glass until the 
muscular habit is formed for making vertical and 
horizontal lines and other correct positions. 

29 







i f 


1 




) 



EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 31 



BEFORE -RISING EXERCISES 

1. Relaxing Tense Muscles 

Purpose : To limber the muscles after their long main- 
tenance in one position. This exercise brings about a 
general relaxation of tense muscles, thus putting them 
into condition for active service. One has only to watch 
the awakening of a baby or a cat to see this exercise taken 
naturally. The cat puts out one paw, then another, until 
all have been stretched, then braces his feet, flexes his 
claws, and stretches every muscle in the body. This 
may serve as our guide. 

Manner: Remove the pillow. Lie flat on the back. 
Stretch each arm successively to its fullest extent, flexing 
and relaxing the fingers and hands. Stretch each leg 
in turn, as far as possible, flexing the toes at the same 
time. 



2. A Cure for Constipation 

Purpose : To bring about a natural and regular daily 
movement of the bowels. Physicians claim that over 
75 per cent of our people are troubled more or less with 
constipation. The cause may be and often is, especially 
with working women, carelessness on the part of the 
individual in attending to this necessary bodily function 
at a regular period each day. But whatever the cause, 
constipation may be cured by going through this and the 
following exercise systematically and thoroughly. 



34 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

Manner: Lie perfectly flat on the back, pillow 
removed, limbs stretched straight, arms extended straight 
over the head, palms up. (Fig. i.) Slowly rise to a 
sitting position, bringing the hands straight over in a half 
circle to the hips and following with them the line of the 
legs to the ankles. (Fig. 2.) Repeat this from three to 
five times, increasing the number of times each succeeding 
morning until the exercise can be taken easily fifteen 
times. 



3. A Cure for Constipation 

Purpose: Same as Exercise 2. 

Manner: Lie flat on the back. Bend the knees so 
that the feet are flat on the bed. Massage the bowels 
with both hands, not too hard, but with a firm, even 
pressure. The first movement should be circular, from 
right to left, then back and forth, so that the whole abdom- 
inal surface is gone over. Then place the hand on the 
abdomen and lightly shake every part, especially over 
the liver and stomach. . 



4. Relaxing Knee Joints 

Purpose: To limber up the knees. 

Manner: Lie flat on the back. Bring the right knee 
as near to the body as possible, with the toes pointing 
straight out. (Fig. 3.) Stretch the leg with vigor. 
(Fig. 4.) Repeat ten times. Perform the same exercise 
with the left leg. 




Fig. 6 




Fig. 7 



3 8 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

5. Relaxing Hip Joints 

Purpose: To limber up the hips and round out the 
limbs. 

Manner: Commencing with the right leg, swing it 
from the hips in a rotary motion, circling (Fig. 5) ten 
times. Repeat with the left. 

6. Muscular Exercises for the Feet 

Purpose: To- relax and strengthen the muscles of the 
feet. 

Manner: Lie flat on the back. Stretch the feet for- 
ward, then back, both at once; repeat ten times. Turn 
the feet out, one to the right, the other to the left; then 
in; repeat ten times. 



AFTER -RISING EXERCISES 

7. Arm and Shoulder Exercises 

These exercises are the familiar Swedish movements 
that were taught us in our school days. Their purpose 
is to exercise the arms and the shoulders. They should 
be taken each morning before dressing. 

(A) 

Manner : Stand with heels together, toes turned some- 
what out, arms at sides. (Fig. 6.) With palms up, 
bring hands to the shoulders. (Fig. 7.) Stretch the arms 
straight out. Bring hands back to the shoulders. Repeat 
the exercise ten times. 




Fig. 8 




Fig. 9 




Fig. 10 



42 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

(B) 

Manner: Same position as shown in Fig. 6. Stretch 
the arms straight up, keeping them close to the head. 
(Fig. 8.) Bring hands to shoulders. Repeat ten times. 
Care must be taken to stretch the arms vertically, like 
the picture, not slantingly. 

(C) 

Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Close the hands; 
bring from sides to the chest. (Fig. 9.) Repeat ten 
times. 

(D) 

Manner: Position of feet as in Fig. 6 and of hands as 
in the preceding exercise (C) (on the chest). Stretch the 
arms straight in front, palms open and facing, and return 
to first position. (Fig. 10.) Repeat this exercise ten 
times. 

(£) 
Manner: Standing position as in Fig. 6. Bring the 
hands to the arm pits. (Fig. 11.) Return to sides. 
Repeat ten times. 



8. Strengthening the Lungs 

Purpose: To expand the chest and strengthen the 
lungs. 

Manner: Stand before an open window in the same 
position as shown in Fig. 6. Bring the hands back to 
back in front of the abdomen. (Fig. 12.) With the 
mouth closed inhale deeply while raising the hands straight 
above the head, backs of finger tips together. (Fig. 13.)' 




Fig. 11 




Fig. 12 




Fig. 13 



46 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

Turn the palms outward and, with an outward move- 
ment, bring the arms to the sides, at the same time exhal- 
ing with vigor. (Fig. 14.) Repeat the exercise ten times, 
being careful to inflate the lungs to their fullest capacity 
each time. 



9. Expanding the Chest 

Purpose: To expand the chest and reduce the flesh 
under the shoulder blades. 

Manner: Position as shown in Fig. 6. Bring the 
hands together in front, then to the'back, forcing them to 
meet each time with a vigorous clapping. With no pause 
between movements, repeat the exercise ten times. 



10. For Kidneys and Abdomen 

Purpose : To invigorate the kidneys, reduce the abdo- 
men, and improve the waist line. 

Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Raise the arms high 
above the head, at the same time bending backward as 
far as possible. (Fig. 15.) Bring the arms forward, 
bending the body but keeping the knees straight, until 
the finger tips touch the floor. (Fig. 16.) Repeat ten 
times. 

Caution : In the beginning, no attempt should be made 
to touch the floor, otherwise . strain may result. How- 
ever, as the body becomes more pliable and the muscles 
develop, it will become very easy to do the exercise in 
the way directed. 




Fig. 14 




Fig. 15 




Fig. 16 



5 o BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

11. Stimulating the Liver 

Purpose : To stimulate a torpid liver and improve the 
waist line. 

Manner: Stand with the feet well apart, arms at side. 
Raise the right arm and right heel, at the same time 
moving the left hand down the left leg as far as possible. 
(Fig. 17.) Raise the left arm and heel and move the right 
hand down the right leg. (Fig. 18.) Repeat alternately 
ten times. 

12. Developing Trunk and Neck Muscles 

Purpose: To develop the muscles of the trunk and 
neck. 

Manner: Position as in Fig. 6. Rotate the entire 
trunk from left to right (contrary to the hands of the 
clock), at the same time rotating the arms in the same 
direction. (Fig. 19.) Repeat as many times as strength 
permits. Rotate the trunk and arms from right to 
left (with the hands of the clock, Fig. 20). Repeat as 
before. 

As this exercise is a difficult and tiring one, no attempt 
should be made at first to repeat ten times, once or twice 
each day being sufficient until the muscles become hard- 
ened. 

13. Improving the Waist Line 

Purpose: To improve the waist line and reduce the 
flesh under the shoulder blades. 

Manner : Standing as shown in Fig. 6, swing the trunk 
to the right, throwing the left arm in the same direction 




Fig. 17 



5 2 BLAIR S HEALTH EXERCISES 

until the hand clasps the right upper arm. (Fig. 21.) 
Swing in the opposite direction and follow the movement 
with the right arm as directed for the left. Repeat ten 
times. 



14. Developing the Leg Muscles 

Purpose: To develop and exercise the muscles of the 
legs. 

Manner: Position as in Fig. 6, but with hands on 
hips, fingers directed forward, thumbs meeting at the back 
if possible, elbows and body in straight line. Advance the 
right leg, elevating the heel so that only the tips of the 
toes touch the floor. (Fig. 22.) Lift the leg until the 
knee and hip are in a horizontal straight line, toes point- 
ing downward, keeping trunk erect. (Fig. 23 .) Straighten 
the leg to a position with the toe tips touching the floor. 
Repeat ten times with the left leg. Go through the same 
exercise with the right leg. 

This exercise is a close imitation of the pawing of 
the horse. 



15. For Strength and Lightness 

Purpose : To limber the whole body and give strength 
to the limbs. 

Manner : Standing with the feet well apart, with hands 
on hips, give a springing jump, landing with feet together 
and on tips of toes. Repeat the exercise from five to ten 
times. 







Fig. 18 



' 



Fig. 19 




Fig. 20 




Fig. 21 




Fig. 22 




Fig. 23 



EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 50 

16. For Hip Reduction 

Purpose: To reduce the hips. 

Manner: With arms extended straight above the 
head, and feet about twelve inches apart, bend the knees 
deeply, bringing the body into the position known as 
sitting on the haunches, at the same time placing the 
hands with palms flat on the back of the neck. Repeat 
five to ten times. 

17. For Body Poise 

Purpose : To get the body in poise. 

Manner: With hands on hips and fingers forward, 
swing the right leg in front of the left, describing a half 
circle, and come to rest on the tips of the toes. (Fig. 24.) 
Swing back (Fig. 25) until the right leg, passing back of 
the left leg, reaches the point touched in Fig. 24, complet- 
ing the whole circle. (Fig. 26.) Repeat ten times. 
Then take the same exercise with the left lee. 



18. Reducing Flesh 

Purpose: To reduce flesh and to limber the whole 
body. 

Manner: Run eight steps on tiptoe; on the eighth 
step, cross the right leg over the left and, with a little 
spring, stoop as though picking up something with both 
hands. (Fig. 27.) Continue ten times, alternating the 
left leg with the right in crossing. 




Fig. 24 




Fig. 25 




Fig. 26 




Fig. 27 



64 BLAIR'S HEALTH EXERCISES 

19. Increasing Body Agility 

Purpose : Same as preceding with an additional value 
to the arms and hands. 

Manner: Run on tiptoes, throwing the arms above 
the shoulders and back to original position at sides, shak- 
ing the hands and fingers constantly. Count steps and 
continue from fifty to one hundred, depending upon 
fatigue. 

20. For Poise in Walking 

Purpose: To gain and maintain the proper position 
of the body in walking. 

Manner: An incorrect walking position is shown in 
Fig. 28. The shoulders are drooping, the head lowered 
and brought forward, and the muscles of the ribs and 
sides are allowed to relax, bringing weight on the stomach 
and other internal organs, and forcing the abdomen into 
prominence. 

Fig. 29 shows the body poised correctly in walking. 
The head should be held erect, the chest expanded, the 
abdomen completing the curve of the chest, but not 
protruding. 

21. For the Double Chin 

Purpose: To reduce a double chin and to remove 
wrinkles. 

Manner: Bend the head straight back as far as possi- 
ble, then forward, dropping the chin on to the chest. 
Repeat ten times. 




Fig. 28 




Fig. 29 



EXERCISING FOR HEALTH AND GRACE 67 

22. For Wrinkles 

Purpose: To remove wrinkles under the ears. 

Manner: Keeping the shoulders motionless, turn the 
head as far as possible to the right, then to the left, alter- 
nating; repeat ten times. 

Keeping the head and chin well up, as a habit, not 
simply as an exercise, will tend to reduce an overabun- 
dance of flesh at the nape of the neck. 



23. Strenghtening the Eye Muscles 

Purpose: To strengthen the muscles of the eyes. 

Manner: This exercise may be taken while lying flat 
on the back or sitting with head erect. 

1. Keeping the head perfectly still, focus the eyes on 
the right of the room as far as the range of vision. Very 
slowly, let the eyes focus successively in a complete circle 
over to the left and back to the point of starting. Repeat 
three to five times. 

2. With no movement of the head, focus both eyes on 
the point farthest to the right that can be seen, then to 
the point on the extreme left, alternating; repeat from 
three to five times. 

3. Holding the head perfectly motionless, focus both 
eyes on the highest point in the range of vision, then lower 
to the floor; repeat from three to five times. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRFqc 

sum 

* v* 3 708 287 5 



I 



